“Summertime Is Great” Should Be Topping The CMJ Charts [VIDEO]

So the family band known as Three Beat Slide–who, we’ll note, could genuinely end up to be a big joke–is getting a lot of attention with the totally charming (or incredibly laughable) song “Summertime Is Great.” Officially, we’re supposed to be goofing on how a father and his two kids are cavorting around in nice outdoor settings while trying to lip-sync to the sappy song about how summertime is, indeed, great. It’s kind of like The LEGO Movie‘s “Everything is Awesome” done as a folk song.

But that actually reminds us that “Everything Is Awesome” really is kind of awesome, and the hard truth is that “Summertime Is Great” would be getting wild acclaim if it was Michael Stipe’s first solo outing with backing from Tegan and Sara. Rolling Stone would be giving the tune some serious analysis if Lena Dunham had paired up with M. Ward and released “Summertime Is Great” as her vinyl (of course) debut. And we can absolutely guarantee that “Summertime Is Great” would be taken very seriously if it was discovered on a dusty old 45 from 1966. So laugh it up, folks–but whether it’s legit or parody, the joke might be on us.

And if you really like Three Beat Slide, then check out a college-rock hero who probably wishes that he’d written the tune…